Engineer - Major Oil
JOB TITLE: Facility Engineer at Major Oil & Gas Industry JOB DESCRIPTION: A Facility Engineer serves as the project manager for oil & gas projects that involve surface-based equipment, such as compressors, separators, tanks, heaters, safety systems, piping / flowlines, generators, etc. The most common drivers for a Facility Engineer's projects are to repair, replace, or upgrade parts of the oil & gas production process, or to address safety and regulatory concerns. A Facility Engineer is generally the primary contact with operators in the field, and therefore assumes the responsibilities of process surveillance and daily communication between Operations (hourly workers on the field) and Technical (salaried engineers & technicians at the office). DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY: Facility Engineers are generally based in offices located in large cities (versus field engineers that spend most of their days at the actual oil and gas job sites, which tend to be in remote locations). That being said, Facility Engineers frequently travel to the job sites, typically 1-2 weeks out of any month, for 2-4 days at a time. Hotels and airports will be very familiar locales to a Facility Engineer. A day at the office involves 15% technical design for projects (calculations, technical software, drawings), with the remaining 85% spent on managing the approval process in order to get projects green-lit (meetings, emails, phone calls, plenty of document creation, and, of course, continuous interactions with the following: management, operations, supporting functions, vendors, and third-party engineers). The work is thus biased towards bureaucratic / political endeavors, with relatively little time spent on real "engineering" work. A typical day in the office involves 8-10 hours of work, beginning between 6-8 am, and ending between 4-6 pm. A day at the job site (or field) involves meeting operators and discussing ongoing projects or new problems. Oftentimes, Facility Engineers travel to the job site to investigate problems or gather data that will be needed to advance a project. When the project is finally under way, Facility Engineers generally travel to the field to supervise and insure the job is done safely, and as described by the project plan. A typical day in the field involves 12-14 hours of work, beginning between 5-6am, and ending between 5-8 pm. DESCRIBE A NON-TYICAL DAY: Since Facility Engineers are on point when equipment breaks down in the field, they are often the first to be called when unscheduled downtime or emergencies occur. For instance, a compressor at a gas plant could fail during a holiday weekend, resulting in millions of dollars of lost production per day, and a Facility Engineer would be called from their vacation, and have to fly to the job site, working long hours until the problem is resolved or other engineers are sent to relieve him or her. Situations such as these tend to happen 2-3 times per year to any given Facility Engineer. HOURS WORKED PER WEEK: 45-50 hours on average. HOURS SPENT IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER: 5-7 hours at the office, less if out in the field COMPENSATION: $85-$100k starting salary HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN EMPLOYED HERE/TYPICAL LIFE CYCLE: Most engineers at major oil and gas companies remain there for their entire careers. The engineers that choose to separate from the company typically do so within the first two years. HEALTH BENEFITS/HEATH HAZARDS: Oil & Gas field sites involve the use of high pressure, highly flammable and toxic substances. There are many risks, and therefore safety is the single most important concern for any major oil and gas company (smaller companies in the industry are unfortunately more relaxed in this matter), and thus many precautions are taken, such as government-regulated safety systems, redundant protection measures, and regular training for all personnel. Engineers are generally not at high risk, as they do not spend all their time in the field, and when they do, it must be mentioned that engineers are likely prohibited from touching any of the equipment. The risk is substantially more palpable for the operators and contractors that actually turn the valves and build / repair / maintain the equipment, as accidents tend to occur when someone is making a modification to the process or equipment. As a side note, the high amount of travel means that Facility Engineers will often have to eat out at restaurants (this is expensed by company), so it may be difficult to maintain a regular exercise regimen and healthy diet. Also, Facility Engineers are often taken to lunch by equipment vendors trying to get in their favor, or by the company itself for different events, recognitions, and celebrations. CULTURE AT WORK: The culture at a major oil and gas company tends to be conservative and reserved, particularly among those above 35 years of age. In recent years, there has been a hiring frenzy that has seen a large number of young professionals enter the field, due to the fact that many of the oil and gas industry's workforce will be retirement-eligible within the next five years, so the culture may relax slightly as the years go by. Cultural priorities are placed on being settled and responsible, and most people, including a significant percentage of those in their twenties, will be married or starting families. People tend to make a few friends at work, but aside from them, generally spend more time with the friends they have made through other means. By the same token, this is not a workplace that facilitates dating amongst its employees, given the relatively small single population, and the unlikely possibility that coworkers will socialize outside of work. Generally, there are no conflicts at work, as people tend to remain polite and avoid conflict. However, people with more liberal mindsets, or those from whose cultural or religious backgrounds are different from the majority, may feel isolated from their peers, who are noticeably conservative and Christian. STRESS LEVEL: 7-9 WHAT DO YOU LOVE: The money is very good, and practically all engineers will make six figures within a couple years of their start date. Salary increases are given out on a yearly basis, and up to a certain level, an engineer can safely expect a 5-10% raise each year. The job security is exceptional, and it is almost unheard of for an engineer to be fired for performance or downsizing reasons at an oil and gas major. Most terminations are due to ethics violations, such as misuse of company property or showing a disregard for safety. The opportunities to travel are also great, as a career in the oil and gas industry will take you around not only most of the U.S., but the entire world. Most of the time, the travel is on a short-term basis, but it is very likely that a few positions in your career will involve relocation to another part of the country or world. This can be a huge plus for some people, or a huge drawback for others. Oil and gas majors tend to invest heavily in their employees, providing regular training and sponsoring teambuilding events. Money is definitely spent on saying “thank you” to employees for their hard work. WHAT DO YOU HATE: Most people complain of the red-tape, given that major oil and gas companies are very large and risk-averse, and thus have an expansive system of checks and balances before projects can be approved. This means projects can easily take two or more years to complete, and this is a major source of frustration for engineers. Therefore, the bureaucracy, in combination with the conservative culture – which can make the process harder to change – are the main reasons people complain and / or decide to leave the company. Most engineers at the company do not seem fulfilled by what they do, and among friends, often talk about leaving in the future, once they figure out what else to do. The other major complaint among the employees tends to revolve around work-life balance, as long hours, excessive travel, and stressful projects can become draining and lead to reduced personal time. In addition, relocation is very likely in the highly global oil and gas industry, and many engineers have lived several years in foreign countries – so if this is not suited to you, it is something to be aware of. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO BE GOOD: To be good, you have to enjoy getting things done, sometimes referred to as the checklist mentality. There are easily 30-50 steps required to complete any project, and most will require the Facility Engineer to be proactive to get them moving along. Factor in that most engineers are managing 6-10 problems at any given time, and the result is a job that is best handled by detailed-oriented people who get satisfaction out of completing multiple tasks. You will also have to be social and have good interpersonal skills, as completing an average project involves interacting with 15-20 people. A lot of times, the Facility Engineer will have to work hard to ensure people are contributing to the project on a timely basis, because most the people supporting the project will also be working on other projects, and thus have competing priorities that need to be managed. IS IT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE: No - most of the work involves managing projects rather than designing them, so the focus tends to be on business priorities rather than technical priorities. Most engineers will eventually choose to embark on a management career track rather than a technical one, as there are currently more opportunities in that direction. From my experience, I would say that 30% of the engineers at major oil and gas companies like / love their job, 35% don't feel fulfilled but stay for the money and job security, and 35% are miserable but stay for the money and job security. This means that by my estimation, 70% of the engineers would leave the companies in question if they could think of an alternative that paid as well. WHAT DID YOU DO TO GET HERE/SCHOOL/TRADES/WORKING UP: To be an engineer at an oil and gas company, you have to obtain a B.S. in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Civil, or Petroleum Engineering from an accredited university. Typically, reputable engineering universities from the South place the most graduates into oil and gas companies, due to the fact the oil and gas recruiters have found a lower attrition rate for people who come from the South than those raised in the North. Personally, I attended the University of Texas at Austin. To obtain a job in an oil and gas major versus a smaller producer or a services company, typically higher GPAs are required (averaging 3.5). However, one of the most beneficial things you can do to obtain a job with an oil and gas major is to intern or coop during college, as the vast majority of interns and coops are offered full-time jobs after their terms are complete. One other thing worth mentioning is that Petroleum Engineers are offered the highest starting salaries, and since their curriculum is less rigorous than the other engineering specialties (more focused and application-driven, less broad and science-driven), it may be something to consider if you already know you want to work in the oil and gas industry. WOULD YOU TELL YOU KID TO CHOOSE THE CAREER: I would tell them to consider engineering in general if their personalities fit the bill: extroverted, rational, doer types. I may suggest that they choose an industry they feel passionate about, because the oil and gas industry generally doesn’t generate sentiments of fulfillment in its workforce. That being said, oil and gas does provide some of the best job security and compensation, so if engineering is the right career choice for that person, it should not be discounted without careful consideration.